Embroidery-hoop.



PATENTED APR. 7, 1908.

P. B. KOHLBR. EMBROIDERY HOOP. APPLIOATIOH I-ILED JAN.22,190B.

FREDERICK E. KOHLER, O11 CANTON, OHIO.

EMBROIDERY-HOOP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 22, 1908. Serial No. 412,186.

Patented April 7, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK E. Kon- LER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented a new and use ul Improvement in Embroidery-Hoops, of which the following is a s ecification.

The invention. re ates to a hoop composed of two rings, one adapted o telescope loosely outside the other for the purpose of holding a piece of fabric taut over the inner ring, for conveniei itly einliroidcring the same.

When the rings are made entirely out of wood or other relatively hard and smooth material, and no means are provided for a change in. the diameter of either ring, such hoop is not well adapted to hold fabrics of different thicknesses and consistencies; and for the purpose of increasing the resilience and friction of the holding surfaces, a rubber band has been wrapped around or applied longitudinally along a flat holdifrg surface on one or both of the rings, and a flexible fibrous band or cord has also been partially countersunkin the same. Serious objections pertain to each of these appliances. When a rubber band is wrapped around a ring, it makes the hoop quite cumbersome and takes away the neat and light condition so desirable in a hoop of this character, and the band is apt to wear off at the edges of the ring and requires frequent renewal. When a band of soft rubber is'applied longitudinally along the flat surface of the ring, .the edgesbecome loosened from the wood by use and stretch or fold out of place, and the hoop soon loses its efficiency. And finally, when a resilient frictional band or cord is partially countersunk in the face of the ring, the hoop soon becomes ineflicicnt by reason of the ordinary wear and use which either abrades the protruding portion of the countersunk material down to theplane of. the hard body of the ring, or overcomes the resilient qualities of the frictional material and compresses it ontirely'into the countersink. in the ring; and furthermore, when a band is countersunk, unless and until tl 1eprotrudingedges of the same are worn-olf by the abrasion of use, tl'iey are apt to be loosened and either stretched or folded out of place like thecdgcs pf a band which is merely laid on a flat surace.

The object of the present invention is to overcome all of the objections which have been noted as pertaining to the devices which have been employed to increase the resilience and friction of the holding surfaces of the rings, and this object is attained by forming at least one ring, preferably the inner ring, with two annular grooves adjacent to the edges of its holding surface, and by rounding or bevcling the sides of the middle portion of the holding surface, into the respective grooves and then by gluing or otherwise securely attaching a resilient frictional band,

referably of somewhat soft and pliable eather, on the middle portion of the ring, with the edges of the band extended over the sides thereof and abutted in the grooves against the inner sides of the flanges formed along the edges of the hoop outside the grooves, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing; in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved inner ring, showing the resilient frictional band applied thereon; Fig. 2, an axialsectional view, showing the fabric laid over the inner ring and the outer ring in position for telescoping over the same; Fig. 3, a similar view, showing the outer ring telesco ed over the inner ring with the fabric stretc ed and held taut over the inner ring; Fig. 4, an enlarged sectional view of the inner ring, showing the details of construction; and Fi 5, an enlarged sectional view, showing an alternate form of the inner ring in which the middle ortion of the holding face of the hoop is raisei outside the plane of the flanges on its edge.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

The inner ring 1. is made of wood, hard rubber or other relatively hard material, and is formed with the annular grooves 2 in its periphery adjacent to the edges thereof. The inner sides 3 of the grooves are preferably roundcd or inclined, and the outer sides 4 thereof are preferably inclined to form right angles with the inner sides at the bottoms of the grooves. The middle portion 5 of the periphery of the ring, between the grooves, is preferably formed flat, so that when the resilient frictional band 6 is glued or otherwise attached thereon, the flat surface 7 is presented to the inner face of the outer ring 8. The edges 9 of the band are curved. or extended over the sides of the middle portion into the respective grooves, and are preferably abutted a ainst the square shoulders 4 on the inner sides of the flanges 10 formed by the groove on the pcripheral edges of the inner ring. The thickness of the band and the shape of the grooves are so proportioned and arranged that the face of the band at 'the edges will be flush with the peripheral faces of the flanges.

The outer ring 8 is likewise made of wood or other suitable material, and as shown, is preferably formed with its inner face 11 smooth or flat, excepting only as the corners 12 may be slightly chamfered or rounded; and when the fabric 13 is placed over themner ring, as shown in Fig. 2, the outer ring is placed over and then forced downward around the inner ring, which stretches and holds the fabric taut over the inner ring. The resilience and friction of the band on the inner ring serves to give a resisting pressure against the outer ring, and to prevent a slipping of the fabric as against an ordinary strain, but nevertheless ermits the fabric to be forcefully pulled and adjusted into any desired position.

It is evident that by reason of the edges of the resilient frictiona band being entered in the grooves and abutted against the inner sides of the flanges on the outer sides of the grooves, these edges will be protected by the flanges from any contact which will tend to loosen or detach them from the ring. It is also evident that the band will continue to be efiective until it is worn entirely off the ring between the grooves, for its edges are protected against being loosened from the ring, and there is no countersinkin the ring into which the band can be compressed.

It will be understood that the form and shape of the grooved ring may be considerably varied without departing from the general idea of the invention; as for in stance, the face of the ring between the grooves can be somewhat raised from the other, one o grooves in its holding face adjacent to the faces of the flanges outside the grooves, as shown in Fig. 5, wherein the respective arts are designated by the reference numera s 1, 2, 3, etc. And it will. also be understood that the invention is not limited in scope to the use of leather as the material for the resilient frictional band, nor to the application of theinvention to hoops having rings of unvar ing circumferences.

What claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An embroidery hoop comprising two rings one adapted to telescope within the other, one of the rin s having annular grooves in its holding face adjacent to the edges thereof, and a resilient frictional band attached on the face of the ring between the grooves and having its edges extended into the grooves and abutted against the outer sides thereof. 2. An embroidery hoop comprising two rings one adapted to telescope within the other, one of the rings having annular grooves in its holding face adjacent to the edges thereof and the face of the ring between the grooves being raised above the ortions outside the rooves, and a resilient ictional band attached on the raised portion of the face and having its edges extended into the grooves.

3. An embroidery hoop comprising two rings one ada ted to telescope within the the rings having annular edges thereof, and a resilient frictional band attached on the face of the ring between the grooves and having its edges extended into the grooves.

FREDERICK E. KOHLER. Witnesses:

HARRY FREASE, JOSEPH 'E. FREASE. 

